Inspired by the popular television series, “Extreme Couponing”, I did my own “extreme couponing” experiment this past summer. Well, the short story is I am no EXTREME COUPONER. However, I did learn a few valuable lessons about how I could save money and be a better steward with what the Lord has given to my family. Here at “A Martha Heart” we encourage readers to “sit at Jesus’ feet” daily, but I know that sometimes the worries of this world cause us to take things into our own hands. One of the areas that we can stress and worry over is our finances.

Today I am going to share some practical tips about how you can save a little money, but honestly the best advice I could give you is to encourage you to turn over control of this area to Jesus. Let Him have control over your finances. I know this is easier said than done, but with Jesus’ help it is possible. I know because He has helped me to grow in the area of my finances. I still have a long way to go, but I am learning.

As mentioned above my experiment with “couponing” did not go as I envisioned it (saving hundreds of dollars a month), but I did learn some valuable lessons about how I could save anywhere between $25 to $50 dollars a month. That adds up over a year! Although, I am not officially “couponing” anymore, there were several things that I learned that I could do effectively and consistently that would help my family to save money. Below is a list of some of the things I learned this summer.

1. Sit down and go through your last 3 to 4 grocery receipts. Find out what you pay on average for the things that you continually buy (IE: meat, milk, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc). This way you will know if you are getting a deal when you see your items on sale at other stores. I have done this with my milk purchases and I have saved about $10 dollars a month from just this small change.

2. Be willing to shop at other stores. I have one main store that I shop at, but in order to get the best deals there are 2 other stores I will purchase specific items from.

3. Look at sales circulars. Something so simple, but something I did not do before my experiment.

4. If you can purchase a Sunday paper and clip coupons. Clipping coupons can save you a lot of money, if you have the time and patience. This is something I started out doing, but with my lifestyle and personality it is not something I could keep up with.

5. Find the websites that do the “saving money” work for you. I get regular emails from a grocery store chain that lists all their sales prices and evencoupon matches to help me find the best deals. There are also reliable websites that you can purchase coupons from for a small fee.

6. Buy in bulk, and buy more than one item when it is on sale. Again, simple advice, but something I did not do before. I now do this with my laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, cereal and toilet paper.

7. Buy Generic when you can. Generic foods do taste good 🙂

8. Get the family involved, especially your spouse. When everyone is on board with trying to save money it makes life a lot easier 🙂

Please feel free to share your own money saving tips here at “AMH” website. Remember to let Jesus have control over the area of your finances as He knows what is best for you and your family. Blessings friends…